yesterday's negotiations consisted on a phone call between president obama and house speaker john boehner. both are still sticking to their separate plans. the president's plan raises taxes on the top 2% to raise 1.6 trillion in revenue, while the gop wants to close tax loopholes to raise half as much. >> we can probably solve this in about a week. it's not that tough. but we need that conceptual breakthrough that says we need to do a balanced plan. >> i'll be available at any moment to sit down with the president to get serious about solving this problem. >> the white house says they are also concerned that republicans may use the debt ceiling, which will need to be raised early next year to get their way on tax and spending cuts. the pentagon is already planning major cuts in case there is no deal. the preliminary plan is to cut 500 billion dollars in jobs and programs. the pentagon's spokesman says those cuts could force the defense department to abandon its new military strategy. it's also likely to affect spending on weapons and technology programs as well as how the military provide